Wake-Up Cocoa Quick Bread

Recipe from SmallKitchenCara via Food52

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes one 9”X5” loaf

The recipe author describes this quick bread as a loaf cake inspired by pain d’epice, but made with cocoa and espresso powder rather than spices and honey.  I prepared this for my family for the holidays as a breakfast treat.  I was delighted that both my grandchildren absolutely loved it.  Each morning, Sandrita and I had it toasted and spread with Chocolate Nut Butter Hummus and Luis had it un-toasted and unadorned.  (I also ate a sliced apple with it while the children ate bananas.) This bread, once completely cooled, freezes beautifully.  It’s definitely a keeper and will now become a holiday breakfast tradition.

Cooking oil spray

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole-wheat flour or whole wheat flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

4 Tablespoons good quality cocoa powder (I use dark cocoa powder.)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 large egg

1 ½ cups milk

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray a 9”X5” loaf pan with cooking oil and set aside. (I used a parchment paper loaf liner and sprayed it with cooking spray.  You could probably butter the pan and sprinkle in some unsweetened cocoa powder, tapping out the excess to prepare the pan.)

Mix together the flours, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, combine the butter with the sugar and espresso powder.

Add the egg, beating to distribute evenly, then pour in the milk.

Using as few strokes as possible, stir in the dry ingredients.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is dry and is slightly cracked.  (I also checked using a toothpick in the center of the loaf.)

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 

Remove the loaf from the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

Spinach Feta Quiche with Quinoa Crust

  

Recipe from Cooking Light

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4 (9-inch pie plate)

If you have cooked quinoa in the freezer, thaw it overnight in the fridge and you’ll be just about set to make this delicious quiche. 

Crust

Cooking spray

2 cups cooked quinoa, chilled** (I used “tricolor” quinoa to change up the color, but regular white/cream colored quinoa will work just fine.)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg, beaten

Filling

1 teaspoon canola or olive oil

½ onion, thinly sliced

1 (5 oz.) bag baby spinach (Try other veggies such as mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, etc.)

½ cup 1% low-fat milk (I used unsweetened almond milk.)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1.5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (Blue cheese or goat cheese would taste fabulous as a substitute.)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Coat the bottom and side of a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. 

For the crust, combine the quinoa, pepper, and egg in a bowl.  Mix well.  Press the mixture into and up the sides of the pie plate.  Bake at 375F for 20 minutes; cool.

For the filling, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and onion.  Sauté 3 minutes.  Add the spinach and sauté for 3 minutes, or until wilted but still bright green.  Remove from heat; cool.

Combine milk, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, eggs and egg whites in a bowl.  Whisk well. 

Arrange the spinach mixture in the crust; pour egg mixture over the spinach.  Sprinkle with feta.  Bake at 375F for 35 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Cut into 4 wedges.

Nutritional Information:  (1 of 4 wedges) 282 calories; 11.6 g fat (3.8 sat. fat; 3.6 mono. Fat; 1.6 g poly fat) 17 g protein; 28 grams carbs; 5 grams fiber; 243 mg cholesterol; 4 mg iron; 552 mg sodium; 172 mg calcium

** How to Cook Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) Just 1 cup of uncooked quinoa will yield almost 4 cups cooked. (Prepare a batch and then use half for the recipe above.  Freeze the other half to use for another recipe.) Here's what you will need to cook the quinoa: 1 cup  uncooked quinoa; 2 cups water for cooking; a sieve; water for rinsing; a saucepan with a cover and a kitchen timer. Place 1 cup of uncooked quinoa in a sieve (strainer.) Quinoa has a bitter coating (called saponin) that must be rinsed off.  An effective method for rinsing off the bitter coating is to place the quinoa seeds in a fine-meshed strainer and run cold water over the quinoa while gently rubbing the seeds together in your hands. Place the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan and add 2 cups water. Bring the cooking liquid to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Place a tight-fitting lid on the saucepan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. (Set a kitchen timer to 15 minutes so you won't forget to check for doneness.)  Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork.

Swedish Limpa Bread

Recipe from Beatrice Ojakangas in Baking with Julia

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 2 round loaves

We thought this bread was just fantastic!  It was fun to make.  It’s slightly sweet with a hint of molasses, orange, and spices.  It has a lovely tight and tender crumb, making it easy to slice for sandwiches.

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon anise seeds

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup warm water (about 110F)

¼ cup molasses

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup packed dark brown sugar or Sucanat

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 ½ cups light or medium rye flour

5-6 cups bread flour

Molasses for glazing the loaf after baking

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat until scalded: that, until a ring of small bubbles is visible at the edge of the pan.  Remove from the heat and let the milk cool.

Using a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or a coffee mill, coarsely grind the caraway, fennel, and anise seeds.  Don’t grind them to a powder…you’re aiming to crush them just enough to release their flavor.  Set aside.

Working in a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar into the water, stirring until the yeast is dissolved. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, or until it turns creamy, then stir in the cooled milk, the molasses, butter, brown sugar, salt, crushed seeds and grated orange zest. 

Whisk in the rye flour and stir until smooth.  Add 1 cup of the bread flour and whisk until the mixture is very smooth.  Switch to a wooden spoon and mix in as much additional bread flour, 1 cup at a time, as it takes to make a stiff dough.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  Dust a work surface with bread flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Knead the dough of 5-10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.  (I had used 4½ cups of flour initially and then used another 1 cup of flour as I kneaded.) Rinse out the bowl, rub it with a little oil and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour.

Grease two 8- or 9-inch cake pans.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a work surface.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a round loaf that will fit into a prepared cake pan.  This is most easily done by working each half of dough into a tight ball between your cupped hands.  Keep turning the ball between your hands and then, when it’s tight, place it in one of the pans, smooth die up, flattening the dough as necessary to fit the pan. 

Cover the dough with the oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until the loaves almost double in volume, about 1 hour.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.  Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer instead into the top of the bread comes out clean.  As soon as you remove the loaves from the oven, turn the loaves out of their pans and brush their tops with molasses.  Cool the loaves on a wire rack.

The breads will keep at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for 2 days.  For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.